Eat It? Beat It!

 

We continue to be obsessed with the impending arrival of new restaurants in this town. We don’t sit around watching the grass grow in Howard County. No, indeed. We sit around anxiously discussing when the next restaurant is going to open. It’s rather like all those “when’s the baby due?” conversations, only moreso.

During a recent such conversation in the Howard County Eats group on Facebook I suddenly envisioned an (as yet imaginary) tracking device. Consider this: one of those old school newsroom set ups with multiple clocks running, but for all of the in-progress restaurants. 

Photo from basic Google search. 

At the moment those in-progress restaurants would be: Boro Kabob on Frederick Road, Taco Bell on Route 40, Mezeh at Long Gate, and a Korean barbecue place in Dorsey’s Search. The entire conversation was kicked off with the news that Dumont Cafe & Creamery would coming soon to the Weis Plaza shopping center in Waverly Woods.

As a well-known local foodie remarked, “Soon is a relative term in Howard County.“

May I respectfully suggest that you do not need to languish unfed as the sands fall through the hourglass of 

Wow. That’s a terrible sentence. Let’s try that again.

Are you looking for new places to eat? You can go out of town, you know. A great variety of choices await you in nearby locations. Baltimore, for instance.  Non-profit newspaper and media outlet Baltimore Beat has just published its first ever Food Issue. The link takes you to their website. (If you want a paper copy you’ll need to go into Baltimore and find a Beat Box. Either way, it’s free.)

Curious? Take a look at this preview on their Instagram page. 

Baltimore Eats

You’re going to be learning things about the Baltimore food scene that you really can’t find anywhere else.  On a budget? Check out Ana Bak’s article on Baltimore’s Best cheap eats. But wait - - there’s more. The Beat also takes a look at urban farming and even beekeeping. 

Editor Lisa Snowden begins each issue with a letter. This one was especially welcome. 

Something really special is happening in Baltimore. After spending decades in the shadow of the DMV, this city now has a vibrancy that I haven’t seen for some time. Foodies and influencers are making the trek here to sample treats from Rooted Rotisserie, Café Dear Leon, Ekiben, and more. Small businesses, many owned and operated by women and people of color, are sprouting up. Despite many of the hard realities we face, there’s a lot to feel hopeful about right now.

Ms. Snowden - - whose persistence in telling truthful Baltimore stories makes some folks uncomfortable - - is not known for feel-good puff pieces that will ingratiate her publication with local politicians and power brokers. So if she says, 

Despite many of the hard realities we face, there’s a lot to feel hopeful about right now.

She means it. 

If you need something to feel hopeful about right now, and/or you’re tired of waiting for new HoCo restaurants to open, the Baltimore Beat Food Issue is for you.